Shraddha Srinath is city trotting having taken up three projects in three different languages. As she deals with the “work pressure”, Shraddha is looking at the larger picture and is not complaining. While she will mark her B-Town debut with Tigamanshu Dhulia’s Milan Talkies, she also has Shivanna-starrer Rustum, her first commercial flick (which marks the directorial debut of Ravi Varma) lined up.
The latest addition to her kitty is a film with Madhavan. Incidentally, this is her second with the actor, the first one being Vikram Vedha. Though she had agreed on the project three months ago, she waited for the production house to make an official announcement, which was made on Wednesday. Titled Maara, the film will be directed by newcomer Dhilip Kumar.
Even though Shraddha had worked with Madhavan previously, she says that she had to audition for the role in her second film with him. “I didn’t think twice about taking it up, especially since Maddy (Madhavan) was in it. The kind of rapport I share with the actor off-screen, I sure come through on-screen. There are times you look forward to working with someone again, and, for me, this is one of those times,” says Shraddha about her role in Maara, the storyline of which revolves around a young girl falling in love with an elderly man, Shraddha plays a chic, bold and free-thinking girl’s role.
Since she brought up the audition bit, we asked her if it bothered her that she had to take a test to fit the role. She admits that she “hates” auditions, but feels that it keeps actors grounded. “So, we know that only if we do well, will the role be ours. Many times, we become complacent after a break. There are films that come by anyway, but there are also those films that require us to prove our mettle. At the end of the day, when we bag such films, it feels like we have earned the job,” she says.
With three films in three different languages, Shraddha terms it as an “out-of-the-world experience.” “In Mumbai, I am a debutant, an absolute nobody. When everyone used to talk about B-town, I was so enamoured. On the other hand, in Shivanna’s film, this is like home turf, where you feel more comfortable and confident. I’m a different version of myself when I work in Sandalwood and in Kollywood. Each of them gives me a different perspective,” she says.
But the challenge is when an actor has to change gears and go with a different mindset to each film’s set. “It’s not the performance or the fact that I have to jump for city to city or even from one set to another. For instance, in Maara, the character is a contrasting one, who is both practical and childlike believing in a fairytale existence. She’s not Mythili from Milan Talkies. Again, back on Rustum sets requires me to jump into a totally different character,” she says, adding, “This style of working is a whole new experience.”
‘Shivanna’s is full of energy’
In a short span of three days that Shraddha has shot for Rustum, the actor says that she has spent much time interacting with Shivanna between shots. “The first thing that comes to mind about Shivanna is his humility. I don’t know his exact age, and I’m not going to guess either. He is so youthful and full of energy. He comes up with jokes and suddenly breaks into a dance. Working with him is fun. In Ravi Varma, who has been a stunt master for so many years, and is now making his entry as a director, I see a different kind of enthusiasm in him,” she says.
‘Maddy and I have a North India connect’
His working style and choice of films make him a preferred choice for other actors working with him. “It’s always a yes from my end to a film with Madhavan. Going by the projects he has been picking up, Irudhi Suttru, Vikram Vedha, the Amazon series, or films like Tanu Weds Manu, he is not a run-of-the-mill hero. He knows how to excel in characters he plays, which is what I love about him. Not many know that Maddy and I have a North India connect. Though he is Tamilian, and I am a Kannadiga, we were both raised in North India. So, we speak very good Hindi, and we understand each other well. As an actor, he is very dynamic and gives a natural touch to his performance,” she says.